Available on PC
I am not sure what to say about Frog Detective. I was gifted the game by a stream viewer to play for Whimsy Wednesday. She made me promise not to look anything up about it and I am glad I didn’t. I may not have played it otherwise. It is dorky, short, and crudely animated, all of which adds to the charm. I had an amazing experience but I think it would split the average group of gamers. That is partially because it is so stripped down. To me, that’s what makes it kind of special.
You play as a detective chosen to solve a case by your supervisor because the best detective, Lobster Cop, is busy on another case. It’s kind of insulting but hilarious because the Frog Detective talks about it so frankly. Then you get on a boat and travel out to a mysterious island that might be haunted. When you arrive, there is a paranormal crew and anthropomorphized inhabitants on the island, including the king of the island.
To solve this case, you will have to talk with each of the quirky characters and trade goods to get the resources needed to solve it. This is where I think people will be split. There is no voice acting so you will have to make up a voice up for each character. For streaming this is hilarious, if you decide to do all the voice acting but if you don’t want to imagine or don’t have a good imagination it might not be fun. There are a lot of dorky jokes in the game. On the island, there are holes that go down to the caverns full of ghostly sounds that you can climb into. Above it, it says to stay out because there is science going on. When you climb in it does nothing and your Frog Detective looks very awkward.
One of the best parts is helping a mouse show off its sweet dance moves to try and attract its crush. To do so, you have to solve the case in time and convince the king of the island to allow the dance party to happen. While talking with the inhabitants of the island and the paranormal investigators the story gets funnier and weirder. In the end, you are able to help everyone out and locate the source of the spooky sounds around the island. The comedy in Frog Detective is really good. I mean it makes fun of books and how they are useless and filled with lies. Then the creator cuts in and corrects the Frog Detective’s false words.
The best part about Frog Detective is that it is accessible to nearly everyone. It is simple enough for a child to play and still enjoyable for an adult to play. You walk around and click on people and items to learn about the world and how to solve all the problems you run into. The speech is funny and simplistic enough that kids won’t be confused. Really it works like a good cartoon show, there is a little bit for everyone. The length of Frog Detective is perfect too. Especially if you are trying to play with a child or if you are an adult, it keeps it from over staying its welcome. It was about an hour from start to finish but don’t let the shortness deceive you, it is a complete and funny story.
I didn’t think I would enjoy the Frog Detective but was very surprised by how much I loved it. It is quirky and dorky in all the best ways. It was exceptionally fun to stream. Everyone loved my voice acting and how everyone was, apparently, at least a little bit southern. The graphics are fun and look hand drawn and stripped down. Everyone looks like they are having a good time. The game is bright and enjoyable. The lack of voice acting could turn some people off but for me it turned out to be excellent. All of the writing is hilarious and, at times, non-sensical. I would suggest that if you are into indie games, comedy, or have a child you’d like to play a game with it’s well worth it. You can find it on Steam for just a few bucks.
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